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[Christobal] [Christobal p3]

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Christobal

Ex-hurricane Christobal had managed the transition across the North Atlantik without losing too much strength. I was watching his path since a couple of days and it looked like a good path not only for the European Atlantic coast but also for the North Sea. Forecast sites were seeing 0.8 ft at 16 seconds for the northern Denmark coast. As I already had some experience with this kind of weather patterns the tiny wave height didn´t hinder me from getting excited. The – at least for this region - unusual high period was the factor that made me cancel appointments and deadlines. Checks of forecasts for my reference buoys assured my travel plans. And the only factor, that can waste a swell like this – the local wind – looked like cooperating too. The forecast oscillated from al light offshore to a light southerly wind.

Knowing that the swell would come in with pretty much north in the direction and taking into consideration the high chance of the wind turning south I decided to go to Thy – or “Cold Hawaii” as its marketing name is. I left Hamburg in the late Monday evening and drove until 2 in the morning.

The next day I only needed half an hour of additional driving to reach the chosen destination. The sun was shining and the wind was a light southeast when I reached the parking. I climbed the dunes and the view across the bunkers confirmed that I had done the correct calculations. A decent set unfolded itself on the reef.  Nothing exceptional yet, but still way more than all the near shore forecasts had predicted. Between sets there were very long lulls, an infallible sign that this was indeed a ground swell.

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